Early PCR-based DNA identification in a wartime mass-fatality event: archival reconstruction of the 1994 Duboki Jarak explosion

Aim To reconstruct the forensic identification process following the 1994 explosion at the Duboki Jarak military ammunition and explosive ordnance storage facility in Croatia and to evaluate the role of early PCR-based DNA typing in the identification of severely fragmented human remains under wartime conditions. Methods A retrospective archival analysis was conducted using original forensic, judicial, and laboratory documentation generated after the explosion. We reviewed crime scene records, medico-legal documentation, forensic body diagrams, situational plans, judicial orders authorizing DNA testing, laboratory reports, and genotype summary tables. Archived laboratory records indicate that recovered tissue samples underwent PCR-based DNA typing using the GeneAmp PCR System 9600 with reverse hybridization assays targeting six loci (HLA-DQA1, LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, and GC). The obtained profiles were compared with reference samples from the missing persons’ relatives. Results Archival documentation recorded 59 biological specimens recovered at the scene. Of the 48 samples submitted for laboratory examination, 33 were subjected to PCR-based DNA typing, and 20 yielded interpretable DNA profiles. Among the recovered remains, multilocus comparison documented five distinct genetic profiles. Comparison with 16 reference samples from 16 relatives representing six families enabled kinship-based attribution of remains to five victims. No compatible genotype was identified in one family, and one specimen was excluded from attribution due to mixed PCR signals consistent with contamination. Conclusion The Duboki Jarak case represents one of the earliest documented applications of PCR-based DNA typing for victim identification in a mass-fatality event during active wartime conditions. DNA-supported identification was operationally implemented in Croatia in 1994, several years before molecular genetics was formally integrated into international disaster victim identification protocols.